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SCIENCE: CRISPR Is “Not As Safe As We Thought”

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Like a molecular ninja, the genome-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 slices through ultraspecific segments of DNA to cut out unwanted bits of genetic code. It’s a precise and promising method of genetic editing that’s widely used in scientific research. And scientists hope it could one day be used to selectively remove genes that result in medical problems such as HIV, sickle cell disease and cancer. Unfortunately, a new study published today (July 16) in the journal Nature Biotechnology suggests that this day may be further off than expected — and that CRISPR’s cellular swordsmanship may result in much more collateral damage than … Read more